A game made by Sega and released in 1984 for arcades and Sega's SG-1000 console, and subsequently ported to several computers and the Sega Genesis. It predates Sonic by seven years but was designed by a future member of Sonic Team, namely Youji Ishii. It also inspired the Sonic game Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (known as Sonic 3D Blast in North America).
The player's objective in each round is to run around as Flicky, collecting all of the Chirps in the stage, and then to run to the exit. The enemies Tiger and Iggy will try to scare away the Chirps and hurt Flicky. If that sounds familiar, then it's no surprise that the game was heavy influenced by Namco's earlier game Mappy.
Flicky was a pioneer in video game Jump Physics. While most games of the era that featured jumping had characters jump according to a fixed arc, Flicky could maneuver and change direction in mid-air. With a few exceptions, this would soon become the standard for the Platform Game and most video games with jumping.
This game contains examples of these tropes:
- All in a Row: Chirps follow Flicky this way. The more Chirps you carry to the exit at once, the more points you earn, but the longer the line becomes, the easier it is for Tiger to separate them.
- Attract Mode: Cycles between a tutorial, title screen (with letters added out-of-order before repositioning), character names, extra player score markers, gameplay demo, then high score. The Genesis version simply has two attract states between title and gameplay.
- Bonus Level: In which Flicky must catch the Chirps with a net before they drop to the bottom of the screen.
- Cats Are Mean: Tiger.
- Compilation Re-release: The Genesis/Mega Drive version of the game has been included in many compilations, starting with the 4-in-1 Classic Collection for the same system, and later with both versions of Sonic Mega Collection, and then Sega Genesis Collection and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. The
Japan-only Sega Saturn compilation Sega Ages had the original arcade version. - Cool Shades: Some Chirps are radical 80s kids and wear them (or maybe they're just blind). They will run nonstop if separated from Flicky.
- Dub Name Change: Between the Arcade and Genesis versions, Piopio was renamed to Chirp, Nyannyan was renamed to Tiger, Choro was renamed to Iggy.
- Easter Egg: Every level has an orange window near the goal. A girl in a (topless) bikini appears in it waving her butt towards the player if certain scoring requirements are met.
- Endless Game: There's a harder second loop, which the game will repeat on subsequent successful playthroughs.
- Escort Game: The whole game is about collecting Chirps and guiding them to the exit before they get separated.
- Excuse Plot: Your chicklets are scattered throughout the levels, and you have to save them from the cats and lizards.
- Homage: Gunstar Super Heroes would pay tribute to Flicky at one point in its first stage, where you have to lead a pack of chicklets to a door.
- In most Sonic games starting with the original, Flicky is one of the animals that may pop out of a Badnik after being defeated. Sonic 3D Blast has Sonic rescuing Flickies in much the same way Flicky rescues Chirps.
- Improvised Weapon: Household objects such as coffee mugs can be thrown to remove Tiger from play momentarily. Flicky can't jump with them though, as jumping and throwing are tied to the same button.
- One-Hit-Point Wonder: Both Flicky and Tiger.
- Seesaw Catapult: In the bonus rounds, there are a pair of Tigers on seesaws that launch Chirps into the air. Flicky must catch as many of them in her net as she can.
- Wrap Around: The levels wrap around horizontally, though the camera scrolls along with Flicky.
